The co-op advantage

What is co-op?

Co-operative education is an educational model that formally integrates academic studies with relevant work experience. When you complete your degree, you will have the same number of academic terms as a student in a regular (non-co-op) program, plus up to 2 years of work experience.

Co-op quick facts

• Benefit from North America’s most established co-op program
• 93% employment rate in the first work term among Computing and Financial Management (CFM) students who began Fall 2015
• 100% employment rate in subsequent work terms among CFM students
• Earn between $11.00 and $30.00 ($19.81 on average) per hour during your first work term
• Earn from $55,000 to $120,000 over 6 work terms (24 months of co-op)
• More information on co-op earnings
• More information on co-op jobs

Study/work term sequence

Computing and Financial Management is co-op only. This means that 100% of CFM students are in co-op and will participate in alternating study terms and work terms. Each academic and work term is approximately 4 months in length and will follow this sequence:

Study terms: The CFM program consists of 40 academic courses. CFM students can complete the course requirements in 8 study terms by successfully passing 5 courses per term. 

Work terms: The CFM program includes 6 work terms, which means 6 opportunities for students to gain relevant, varied, and paid work experiences by the time they graduate. CFM students must complete a minimum of 5 work terms and have the option to replace 1 of 6 work terms with an additional study term or an international exchange.

The University of Waterloo has an employer network of more than 6,300 organizations and CFM students have completed work terms at companies including: Bloomberg, Facebook, Microsoft Corporation, Morgan Stanley, RBC, TD Bank Group, CIBC, and more. Consider the versatility required to work across sectors with reputable employers in a diversity of roles like those listed below.